Impromptu Dinner Party

I wasn’t comfortable having people over for dinner before starting the blog. I always thought the meal would end up burnt, undercooked, or just plain bad tasting.

But like they say, practice makes perfect. While I might not be perfect, I am definitely a lot more confident. Plus, it doesn’t hurt having a blog filled with a collection of my favorite recipes to fall back on.

When my sister invited herself and her boyfriend over for dinner last night I knew I had what it took to whip up something pronto.

And if all else failed, we knew the dogs would keep them entertained…

The menu

The goal was to find quick recipes that I could prepare in the morning, refrigerate and whip out when I needed them.

In total, I spent 1 hour prepping in the morning and 30 minutes throwing stuff in the oven/ice cream maker before their arrival. Mission accomplished.

Herby chicken rub

Slow baked omega yams

Vegan coleslaw – will have to remake this recipe, I didn’t write it down!

It was a bright and sunny day today so I wanted the table to pop with color. I grabbed a bunch of random bright colored bowls and mats from the creativity room and dressed up the table for the season.

I knew I wanted to serve yams to get rid of the collection we seem to have started over our last couple of grocery runs. 4 bags of yams in the house is just not good for anyone involved. If it were up to me I’d make one huge batch of mashed yam and live off it for 2 weeks. Gosh that stuff is killer… but I digress.

I was stumped on how to prepare these… until I remembered my omega crouton recipe. Omega yams?

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

Place everything but yams in a big mixing bowl. Stir to combine, then add cubed yams. Stir to coat before laying out on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 95 minutes, or until tender on the inside and a bit crunchy on the outside.

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I wanted to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, so I decided to slow roast the chicken too. I threw it in about 10 minutes after the yams went in. To make life even easier, I used our digital turkey thermometer [Superstore – $9.99] and set it to beep when the temperature hit 180F.

In a small bowl, combine all spices and oil. Rub over top of the chicken before placing in casserole dish [lid off] and throwing in the oven until cooked to an internal temperature of 180F.

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Ice cream is one of the easiest desserts to prepare ahead of time. I made the chocolate mixture in the morning, then let it sit in the fridge for the day. 3 hours before they were heading over, I let our ice cream maker do the magic before dumping the ice cream in a glass container and allowing to freeze.

Ice cream maker style: place mixture in your ice cream maker and allow to churn until desired consistency is met.Place the ice cream in a freezer safe container and allow to freeze for 2-3 hours before serving.

Freezer style: pour into 2 freezer safe bowls and place in the freezer for at total of 1.5-2 hours, removing every 30 minutes to whisk so that it doesn’t set into an ice cube. When it gets to a soft serve ice cream consistency it’s done!

Notes

The lecithin thickens up the ice cream perfectly, giving it a very creamy consistency. Adding ⅛ teaspoon gelatin is great too, but the recipe would no longer be vegan.

Comment navigation

That ice cream looks wonderful! I have made something similar, but I have used maple sirup as sweetner. I want to try it with dates now!
I love having friends over for dinner! Especially my not-picky-eating friends, they are way easyer to satisfy than the picky ones ;)

My nondairy, sugar free ice creams keep turning out hard as a rock after freezing. Maybe a handful of cashews could be the solution? (I have been using guar gum too, which I think should have the same effect as gelatin or soy lecithin.)

I agree with other commenters: Can I come over for dinner sometime?! :)

Ahem. I’m with you on the sweet potatoes! Love myself some mashed sweet potato… It’s like a cloud of orangey, delicious, sweet goodness. (Hate to be a know-it-all, but I don’t think those are yams that you served… Have you looked up the difference between sweet potatoes and true yams before? Seems that what are really sweet potatoes are often labelled as yams – at least in North America!) This recipe for them seems like a surefire winner, though… All the healthy fats are just a bonus!

Praise

Leanne, I just wanted to thank you for being such a positive influence. I have been loving keto for the past year and a half, but just figured out quite recently that what matters most is that I haven’t been loving myself. I need to get to a place where my worth is not based on a number or what I did or didn’t eat in a day. YOU are helping me with that! I’m learning about myself, what works for me and learning to love myself in the process.

 Amy

I was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic with my A1C blood glucose levels at 6.2. I was shocked as I thought I ate healthy. Since then, I have been using your version of the keto diet. This week I went to my doctor appointment (2 months later). I was ECSTATIC, to say the least, when I heard the news of my blood glucose levels being at 5.6 from 6.2 in just 2 months! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been such a blessing to me. Now I must go discover and try out more recipes for my new lifestyle! I wish all the best to you and your endeavors!

 Bev

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For the first time in my life I am menu planning with the help of your weekly meal plans, and transitioning gently into your forgiving and body-positive brand of ketogenic living. My cravings are almost gone; what remains is probably just habit, without out the blinding compulsion that used to drive me. I am working on my self esteem; even though I am an accomplished professional, I feel as if I have clay feet sometimes! I love how you suggest acceptance and self-love. We can all be better in the world when we honor our own selves!

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Leanne Vogel has experienced success in using her recipes and keto-based diet. It works with her lifestyle but there are no assurances or representations of any kind made by Leanne Vogel or Healthful Pursuit Inc. that you will attain any success in using the same recipes or adopting a keto-based diet. Healthful Pursuit provides information in respect to healthy living, recipes, nutrition, and diet and is intended for informational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment nor is it to be construed as such. We cannot guarantee that the information provided by Healthful Pursuit reflects the most up-to-date medical research. Information is provided without any representations or warranties of any kind. Please consult a qualified physician for medical advice, and always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health and nutrition program.